August 7, 2012

The Southeast ADA Center team member Mary Morder was interviewed by WSB-TV, Channel 2 in Atlanta for a July 26, 2012 story on accessible parking concerns of a metro-area hardware store.

Note: While the broadcast was captioned, the online video on the WSB-TV website is not. A descriptive transcript of the news story on accessible parking is provided below.

Video of news story (uncaptioned) on accessible parking on WSB-TV, Channel 2, Atlanta.

For More Information on Accessible Parking:
ADA National Network • 1-800-949-4232 [voice/tty]

Transcript

Hardware Store Questioned Over Access for Disabled Customers. Aired on WSB-TV (ABC), Channel 2 in Atlanta on July 26, 2012]

[VIDEO: Opening Shot: In studio. News anchor Jovita Moore stands at desk with story title on screen behind her which reads: Law Violated? and has a photo of a clay planting pot display covering most of the painted blue and white wheelchair symbol of an accessible parking space.]

Jovita Moore, WSB-TV Anchor: One of our disabled viewers says a local hardware store has been violating an accessibility law for months now. New at 5 Channel 2’s Carl Willis responded to the call. He’s live in Northwest Atlanta with the results he got today – Carl.

[VIDEO: Shows WSB-TV Reporter Carl Willis with busy street behind him and wide shot of the store in question. As he speaks, camera zooms into shot of the three open accessible parking spaces. Then moves to close up of blue accessible parking permit hanging from a car’s rear view mirror.]

Carl Willis, WSB-TV Reporter: Well behind me you can see that all three handicapped spots are open. That’s a sight  that happened only after a viewer says requests weren’t answered and asked us to push for change.

Life with a disability is filled with challenges.
[VIDEO: Reporter interviewing Mary Morder from the Southeast ADA Center in the store parking lot, and showing in the background the accessible parking spaces in question  covered with a store display of plants and clay pots.]

Mary Morder, Southeast ADA Center:  It does make it difficult. Sometimes you can’t shop there.

[VIDEO: Shot of blue accessible parking space sign. Close up shot of clay plots and plants on display in the van accessible parking space. Wide shot of hardware store and sign. Close up again of clay pot and plant display in the van accessible parking space. Wide shot of Carl Willis and Mary Morder walking to the accessible parking spaces with their backs to the camera.]

Carl Willis: Challenges as simple as being able  to park. A viewer with a disability has had it with this set-up in the parking lot at the Bates ACE Hardware store on Howell Mill Road. That person does not want to be identified so I contacted Mary Morder from the Southeast ADA Center.

[VIDEO: Shot of blue accessible parking sign in background with plants in foreground. Wide shot of Carl Willis and Mary Morder looking at the accessible parking space in question. Shot of plant display in the van accessible parking space with the rest of the parking lot and busy street in the background. Wide shot of clay pots in accessible parking space.  Close up shot of clay plots and plants on display in accessible parking space.]

Mary Morder: And you would use this side to open your door and lower your wheelchair.

Carl Willis: We took one look and spotted an obvious problem.

[VIDEO: Shot of Mary Morder with accessible parking space in question in the background.]

Mary Morder: And it looks like they have blocked the van accessible space with their plant display.

[VIDEO: Clay pots in van accessible parking space with people walking by. Shot of Carl Willis and Mary Morder walking near the three accessible parking spaces and then a zoom in on the clay pots in the van accessible parking space.]

Carl Willis: It’s an issue that has been here for months. Pots and plants parked right on top of the universal blue and white wheelchair sign. Morder says the lot is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

[VIDEO: Close up of Lewis Payne, Store Manager, of Bates ACE Hardware and then wide shot of him showing all of the accessible parking spaces.]

Lewis Payne, Bates ACE Hardware: I thought that because we had this space and this space that there was plenty of room.

[VIDEO: Wide shot of hardware storefront. Shot of plants in accessible parking space with sweep to blue accessible parking sign. Wide shot of Carl Willis, Lewis Payne, Mary Morder and Southeast ADA Center team members.]

Carl Willis: The lot does have the required minimum handicapped spaces but the larger van spot must remain open. The store owner wasn’t available but I did talk to the store manager.

[VIDEO: Shot of Carl Willis and Lewis Payne looking at accessible parking spaces.]

Lewis Payne: I didn’t realize that the spaces had two different functionalities.

Carl Willis: So that won’t be a problem moving it.

Lewis Payne: Of course not.

[VIDEO: Shot of Carl Willis, Lewis Payne, Mary Morder and Southeast ADA Center team members.]

Carl Willis: This group was pleased to see us get results today.

[VIDEO: Close up shot of Mary Morder.]

Mary Morder: That’s exactly what we need. That’s perfect. That’s exactly the response we want. Enthusiasm and just voluntary compliance. It’s as easy as that. And usually it is as easy as that. Just move something.

[VIDEO: Close up shot of front of hardware store from across the street. Pull out to wide shot with reporter Carl Willis.]

Carl Willis: Now the manager says he never knew there was a problem. As you can see it was a simple fix here on the other side of that van. Today also just happens to be the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reporting live from Northwest Atlanta, Carl Willis, Channel 2 Action News.